Snippets

I came across this snippet while digging through notes. Forgot about it:
Kenan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the white robe that signified his status as a Master fluttering gently in the slight breeze.
“How many totems do you have with you today?” asked Kenan.
“I have four, two for Earth, one each for Air and Water,” replied Alisa.
“No Fire?”
“Sorry Master,” Alisa looked away, “I’m still not ready to work with fire again.”
“Understandable. How are you healing?”
Alisa pulled up her left sleeve, reveling a road map of scars that started just above the wrist and continue up passed the raised sleeve.
Kenan walked over and examined her arm, his hand hovering just above the skin, “You will eventually have to practice with fire again, you know this correct?”
“Yes,” she replied as she lowered her eyes.
“It’s okay Alisa. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It was an accident, nothing more. Granted you were trying something beyond your ability, but that is how we grow and learn. However you must promise me to never try something like that without me again. Especially with Fire, it is extremely dangerous.”
“I promise.”
“Good,” smiled Kenan as he stepped back and sat on a stump, “Now, what would you like to practice today? Levitation perhaps?”
Alisa couldn’t prevent the grin that erupted across her face, “Oh yes please!”
Kenan crossed his legs under his robe, carefully arranging the folds so that his sandaled feet shown below the flowing white hem, “Very well. Please take out one of your Earth totems.”
Alisa paused, “Earth? Why wouldn’t I use Air?”
Kenan smiled again, “I assume you are planning to attempt to make yourself lighter than air?” he asked as Alisa nodded, “You know that is impossible. Have you been studying your sciences?”
“Yes sir,” Alisa replied. “Then you know that since you have weight and mass, and that neither can be reduced to near zero you cannot make yourself lighter than air.”
“But Nessi was able to levitate using her Air totem.”
“I imagine she was. It is possible to gain some height but using Earth will give you more and allow you more control. Now, take hold of the Earth and Air totems. Using Earth ‘push’ yourself away from the ground.”
Alisa reached into her satchel and took out 2 of the objects within, placing one in each hand. She unconsciously rubbed each with her thumbs thinking about the power held within. Her totems were wood, the simplest and least power of the totemic objects. They were also the cheapest. She dreamed occasionally of owning a glass of metal totem. However she wasn’t anywhere near ready for that. As it was she was only able to use a small percentage of her totems storage capacity.
Closing her eyes she concentrated on pushing herself away from the earth. At first the idea evaded her, how did one ‘push’ them self away from the ground? Then she imagined herself jumping without actually flexing her legs and she began to rise. She raised her arms out to her size to help balance as she rose higher.
“Very good,” clapped Kenan, “very good indeed!”
Alisa opened her eyes and saw Kenan standing and clapping slowly while smiling.
She was grateful, not for the first time, that her teacher was an Initiate, that he had undergone the grafting process and was a now a natural user of magic. He made his lessons more meaningful. It was true that totemic magic was the more natural way of using the power but the basic understanding of how it all worked wasn’t there. It had to be learned through trial and error. A process that had given her the scars that wove their way up her left arm. Scars that would eventually heal on the outside, but might never heal on the inside, no matter how much she, or Master Kenan, wanted them to.